[Insert here -- Michael Kraehe's humorous posting about this weekend's JCRC race on Miyakejima. Let's hope he takes a camera and gets some photos of the volcano.]
... for those (like me) who could not make it to Miyakejima, I was thinking of a ride on Saturday morning ... back by 2PM or so with enough energy left to interact with family.
I just send a mail to you guys - the jerseys have finally arrived and I hope that you have a chance to sport them on the weekend. The weather looks OK.
ReplyDeleteI have been riding out yesterday. I had a business meeting in Tokyo between 10 and 12 and another one at 19.30hr, so I thought a short ride would fit in very well.
I went to Jerome's hill, the Tamagawa roads were deserted so I could go at a good pace. Started the TT at Jerome's hill, I thought that Tom would be at 6 or 7 minutes so I was very disappointed when I came to the top with 8:38 min. Later at home I found out that I was very close to Tom's record of 8:16 min. As Tom is only making "monster climbing tours" these days and ignoring Jerome's hill, I think I have a good chance to beat him here later this season.
From my home to Jerome's hill top in took me less than 2 hours - very fast. And less than 4 hours for the total trip of 112 km with one longer 7_elevan break at Wachi. Superfast!
I felt strong and well.
So I feel in good shape for Miyakejima. I got so exicted about the chance to win the JCRC D class championship this year that I calculated the point standing on my own.
The point system is very strange. I would even say it is stupid, but if it is not stupid it wouldn't allow me to win: Vor every attendance at a D class race one get 60 points already. And then additional 30 points for place #1, 25 for #2, 22 for #3, 80 for place #4 and then one point less for each place lower until place 23 which is 1 point.
The gist is basically, if you attend all 11 races you have already 13 x 60 points (as two races will have double points most likely) which accounts for 780 points. And this would have been third place in 2007. (the winner with 856 and the second place with 801 points).
Now the situation in 2008 is, that have after 4 races I have 249 points. If I finish in Miyakejima inside the top 12 (which will be easy because it seems that there will be only 12 starters) I will get another 72 x 2 = 144 points which will bring the total to 393 points. The next highest guy who starts in Miyakejima has 148 points, so assuming that he wins the race he will get 2X90 points = 180 points, total 328 points. 75 points advantage for me.
After Miyake there are still 6 races, with one counting double points. So if I get 60 points for attending the race and finsihing in the last place and some guy wins all the other 6 races, than he can make up (90-60) x 7 = 210 points absolute maximum.
210 - 75 points = 135 points, this is the risk remaining. But if he doesn't attend only one race he will loose 90 points, so my risk is only 45 points. If he doesn't attend two race I am through.
Well, that might have been a little bit complicated but the gist of it all is that I have good chances to win the D Class.
Knock on wood.
If I win I will be in good mood and write many funny posts for this blog.
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteI will reserve this Saturday for another one of my monster (= +240k) rides. On Sunday though, I'd be very happy to do a "shortie" (like Kazahari RINDO...) with the ones left in Tokyo.
Tom
Good luck to the Miyakejima participants, i'll toast you with a monster beer, be sure to check out the student disco place.. it's a blast desu.
ReplyDeleteMichael -- the JCRC point system you describe is indeed amusing. I think they had a similar problem in NASCAR racing in the U.S. a few years back, when a driver who had not won any races that year (or even come in second) "won" the annual trophy. They might as well just declare everyone a winner and get a volume discount on trophies -- like the youth soccer league in the Washington DC suburbs where we were living.
ReplyDeleteInspired by Michael's Thursday ride, I got up late on Saturday and rode Musashi Itsukaichi/Jerome Hill and back. I was going to try to do it in under 4 hours ... but ended up meeting two American riders (Michael and Sean/Shawn (sp?)) at the base of Jerome hill, Michael riding a Cervelo Carbon Soloist, and rode over the hill and part of the way back to town with them (... okay, they were not slowing me down at all on the way back ... but I needed to stop at Y's to buy some tubes and then I got a flat on the gravel stretch just North of where the Odakyu Line crosses the Tamagawa, which pushed me well over 4 hours). Still, I was riding into a stiff headwind (as usual) coming back downriver, and enjoyed going at 27-30 kph past all the smaller, lighter riders who were struggling along at 20. Maybe next weekend we can plan a good long one-day ride if there is no JCRC race.
I hope all went well at Miyakejima!
Can't wait to read the Miyakejima report!
ReplyDeleteAdded the first time under TOGEBAKA NO.9 yesterday...was happy to make it under half an hour.
Let's all try one of these days!